User:LiSnP/sandbox

Disaster Details
The disaster occurred on November 7, 2021, in the Garin-Liman mining area of Maradi region, Niger, when a manually dug well collapsed. The day of the mine disaster resulted in 18 people being killed on the spot and seven were hospitalised with injuries. Dozens of young people are trapped underground, but rescuers and local volunteers can only dig with their bare hands and simple tools. Witnesses say their efforts are being hampered by a lack of equipment in this remote part of the country. On 9 November 2021, two days after the mine disaster, rescuers found more bodies in the collapsed mine. Eventually, the number of people killed in the accident rose to 32. According to reports, among the victims, 13 were Nigerians.

Social Background
Increasing demand for metals and rising prices have triggered a boom in small-scale mining in poor countries around the world in recent years. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, and illegal gold mining is a major activity in this poor landlocked country. Security precautions are often negligible and collapse frequently. In August 2021, after the discovery of a gold mine in the Garin-Liman area, thousands of miners gathered there, with many of them being Nigerians. However, within just three months, this is already the second mine collapse in the Maradi region, with the previous incident resulting in at least eight deaths. After the second fatal incident in November, the local government has explicitly prohibited mining at the gold site and initiated monitoring of the area. Unfortunately, despite the government's closure of the gold mine and the implementation of safety measures, some miners continue to illegally extract gold during the night. In January 2022, the implicated gold mine collapsed once again, resulting in five fatalities.

Disaster Causes
The accident occurred at the mining site in the village of Garin-Liman, not far from the border with Nigeria. The area is characterized by loose soil that never holds up leading to the frequent min collapse in various mines. A survivor said the mining holes were carved wrongly. "The place that can accommodate 10 to 15 mining holes have more than 150 to 200 mining holes. It's not supposed to be so, and this might be the main cause of the collapse." According to Adamou Guero, the mayor of Dan Issa, "artisanal miners often use old-fashioned and unregulated digging methods, leading to frequent deadly accidents". This may also have contributed to the accident.